Pocket-book.



PAIBNTED MAR. 17, 1908.

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HAROLD A. DODGE, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

POCKET-BOOK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. March 17, 1908.

Application filed April 30, 1907. Serial No. 371,926.

. To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD A. DODGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new Improvements in Pocket- Books, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to pocket-books, coin-purses, and the like, and particularly to that type which are more or less flat and easily displaced from the pocket of a garment unless suitable means for securing them in place is provided.

The objects of my invention are to provide an effective, yet inexpensive closure-means for the pocket-book or the like and also means for retaining the same in place upon a garment which means are directly connected with the said closure-means and are adapted to facilitate the opening of the ocket-book or the like as well as allord absolute security against loss by displacement.

When the well-known type of stud and socket fastener is employed for gloves or garments which are adapted to embrace either the wrist or the body, there is comparatively no difficulty experienced in opening the same because of the fact that the wrist or body serves as a rigid support to the flange or rim of the respective members and permit of prying them apart without dilliculty. W hen such a fastener, however, is applied to a unitary device which does not embrace a support as aforesaid, it becomes dil'licult to separate the said stud from the socket because of the absence of any such rigid support to assist in the prying operation, with the result that, especially when the material to which they are secured is soft and pliable, like leather and cloth, it is necessary to tug or jerk the goods in order to secure the separation of the respective members of the fastener, and in many cases either one or the other member of the fastener is torn off or the goods themselves are stretched and often ripped.

My invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective elevation of a pocket-book in position upon a waistband of a garment. Fig. 2 is an elevation showing the pocket-book in section, of my improved closure and retaining-means applied in position upon the garment and pocket-book of and useful Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective elevation of the retaining-clamp, isolated.

Referring to the drawings the reference numeral 1 designates the closure-llap of a bill-folder having a pocket 2 thereon and opposing a retaining strip 3 adapted to prevent the displacement of bills from said folder in the manner well-known.

The numeral 4 designates the body-portion of said bill-folder and 5 the garment, to the waistband of which the same is secured by a clamp 6. A stud and socket fastener 7 and 8 respectively, are secured to the opposing halves of said folder and are adapted to fasten the same together. The said stud 7 is of the well-known type which has radial spring members adapted to fit within a recess 15 of the opposing socket 8. The clamp 6 is provided with a lever 9 which is in turn provided with an oil-set end 10, and the said lever is journaled at 11 whereby it is possible to depress a Ushaped spring 12 snugly iitting within the two legs of the clamp 6, which is likewise U-shaped. The plate comprising one leg of the clamp 6 is provided with a projecting shank 13 extending at right angles thereto and penetrating an opening in the body of the billfolder. An auxiliary pin 17, preferably integral with the same plate is secured, by riveting, to the body l of the billfolder as an additional security against revolution, although in many cases this may be dispensed with or replaced by a barb on the inner face of the rim of stud 7. This rim 1 1 of stud 7 bears directly against the inner face of the body 4 of the bill-folder and the stud 7 is secured directly to the shank 13 in such a manner that the pressure of the said rim prevents the revolution of either the clamp 6 or the pocket-book independently of each other. The said stud is secured to the shank 13 by any suitable means in the manner well known, for example, it may be soldered thereto, or it may be threaded on tothe shank 1.3, or the shank 13, which is preferably hollow, may be expanded in the manner well-known into a recess in the base of the stud 7. The U-shaped spring 12 is provided with a slot 16 in which the end 10 is adapted to play, with the result that the displacement of the spring during the operation of closing the same is practically prevented.

Having thus described the construction of my preferred form of device, I will now proceed to explain the operation of same. The stud and socket, 7 and 8 respectively, having been sprung into connection with each other, I the pocketbook can be readily connected with j the rim of a garment or the waistband by I merely inserting the said portion of the garj ment within the U-shaped clamp and be- 5 tween the respective leaves of the spring 12, l whereupon the spring is depressed into close l engagement with the portion of the garment I beneath the same by throwing the lever 9 into the position shown in Fig. 2. YVhen on the other hand it is desired to remove the said pocket-book from its position with rej spect to the garment, such for example as shown in Fig. 2, the lever 9 is opened into the position shown in Fig. 3, with the result that the spring 12 resumes its normal position) adjacent the plate comprising the outer leg of the clamp 6 and releases the portion of the j garment interposed between the respective j leaves of the spring 12. In order to open the j pocket-book proper, it is then merely necessary to lightly grasp the head of the hollow socket 8 and apply slight pressure upon the end of the lever 9 in the direction required to open the same, that is downwardly as regards the position of Fig. 2, In this manner the leverage is rigidly transmitted directly from this lever to the fulcrum-point on the rim of the stud 7 directly opposite the fulcrum 11 and thus without any straining, jerking, or pulling of the material from which the pocket-book is constructed, and with but a relatively slight pressure, owing to the lever-action, the stud and socket can be readily separated, even more easily than is the case with the glove applied to the wrist, as the support is actually rigid in this case and not merely approximately so.

It is evident that while the material from which the pocket-book is constructed is not in itself rigid and does not lend itself as above stated to the usual stud and socket fastener, that by the application of the means herein described not only is the material rendered substantially rigid and its use in this manner of the stud and socket joint rendered more suitable, but by the leverage action aforesaid j the use of a stud and socket fastener is rendered extremely appropriate for these purposes, whereas otherwise it would be of comparatively little value.

Without departing from the spirit of my I invention, various modifications within the scope of the claims may be made, and I therej fore reserve the right to make all such alterations in the construction as may fairly be j considered to come within the scope of the claims.

1. A receptacle comprising two hinged walls of flexible material, a U-shaped frame, a U-shaped spring therein, a lever fulcrumed on to a plate comprising one leg of said U- shaped frame, said lever having an off-set end adapted to throw one end of said spring transversely across the interval between the respective plates comprising the legs of said U-shaped spring, and outwardly projecting at right angles to, the frame comprising the other leg of said U- shaped frame, said shank penetrating through an opening in one wall of said receptacle, a fastener comprising a stud member and a socket member adapted to be snapped into connection with each other, one of said members being rigidly connected with the free end of said shank and adapted to maintain the U-shaped frame in rigid engagement with the aforesaid wall of the receptacle, and the other of said members being secured to the adjacent face of the opposing wall of said receptacle, the said stud and socket members being normally opposed with respect to each other and adapted to engage each other when the two walls of the receptacle are brought in contact with each other.

2. A receptacle comprising two hinged a shank rigidly secured to,

walls of flexible material, a U-shaped frame,

a U-shaped spring therein, a lever fulcrumed on to a plate comprising one leg of said U- shaped frame, said lever having an off-set end adapted to throw one end of said spring transversely across the interval between the respective plates comprising the legs of said U-shaped spring, means for rigidly securing said U-shaped frame to the outer face of one of said walls, a fastener comprising a stud member and a socket member adapted to be snapped into connection with each other, one

, of said members being rigidly connected with the said U-shaped frame and being positioned upon the opposing face of the wall from that -to which the U-shaped frame is connected,

and the other of said members being secured to the adjacent face of the opposing wall of said receptacle, the said stud and socket members being normally opposed with respect to each other and adapted to engage each other when the two walls of the receptacle are brought in contact with each other. In testimony whereof I hereby affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

HAROLD A. DODGE;

WVitnesses:

WV. H. SWENARTON, CHARLES E. VVIRZ. 

